China lashes out at US 'pirate-style sense of insecurity'

BEIJING – China's state news agency has accused the U.S. of having a "pirate-style sense of insecurity" in response to recent comments from Washington regarding Beijing's territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea.

The Xinhua News Agency on Saturday took issue with remarks by U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Monday that Chinese land reclamation and construction work on disputed South China Sea outposts were fueling greater anxiety within the region.

Xinhua labeled Psaki's comments biased and revealing of what it called Washington's "pirate-style sense of insecurity."

The editorial, signed by Xinhua reporter Zhang Ning, exemplifies the more caustic tone taken over recent months by the Communist Party controlled media in defending China's territorial claims and rejecting Western concepts of democracy and civil liberties.